So finally past my class 1, massive relief.
So as you do I am looking around for work, agencies know that I work for know I have passed.
However I was looking at container work to kick things off with. However iam being told you need 2 years experience. Ok it’s nothing new, I get that with class 2 work sometimes.
However my question is, are there container companies that take on newbies or is it the norm for all container companies to ask for 2 years mum?
The two year thing is a complete ball ache,as you have class 2 experience simply LIE.
Didn’t think about that lol…can they not see online when you passed you last test. It’s been ages since I last looked on line for my license.
Ukcinc:
Didn’t think about that lol…can they not see online when you passed you last test. It’s been ages since I last looked on line for my license.
Yes, they can see that.
In my experience, nobody these days is going to give you a job and not check your licences on the internet, tell lies and YOU WILL GET CAUGHT.
People who tell drivers just to lie about how long they have had a certain licence tend to be ‘’ the old boys ‘’, the older men who have worked for the same company for 20 to 30 years or more and are clueless about your licences been checked.
I do however hear people telling other drivers just lie about their licences all the time, and 99% of the time your licences get checked, I’ve worked for more companies than most people recently and I can tell you, YOU WILL GET CAUGHT, once proven to be a lair, nobody will go near you.
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You can rest assured that I willnt be. As I back on agency I know they check all the time. Even my old employer checked once a month.
But anyway back to the main question.
Try all the big container firms. Some are willing to give you are a chance. I know one with their own training school.Its better to just try them you might be lucky. I started on one a week after passing my test back then.
The whole 2 year thing gets banded around far too much. Some require it for insurance but until you ring everyone and ask them you will never know. My old place preferred it, but we did start a few new passes because they passed the attitude test and seemed genuinely keen. So it’s always worth a shot.
If you live near a port. Go drive there and write down every single company driving in and out. You will probably see a good few small hauliers doing subby work for these companies that may give you a start.
Thank mate,
I spend a lot of time going in and out of Southampton port dropping off pallets.
There was one firm I looked at that wanted 5 years!
Cheers buddy
Ukcinc:
So finally past my class 1, massive relief.So as you do I am looking around for work, agencies know that I work for know I have passed.
However I was looking at container work to kick things off with. However iam being told you need 2 years experience. Ok it’s nothing new, I get that with class 2 work sometimes.
However my question is, are there container companies that take on newbies or is it the norm for all container companies to ask for 2 years mum?
Many smaller companies have insurance policies that require drivers to have 2 years experience. DON’T lie as someone has suggested. Strangely enough others can take new class 1 drivers. Reason being like car insurance for young drivers - the likelihood of an incident is high… particularly in reversing. Agencies will take newbies and if employed you are driving on their insurance not the clients.
Larger companies are “self insured” i.e. as it sounds… they have capital to pay for damage without paying premiums to an insurance company. Such companies WILL take new drivers and is not a concern. Most will give you the sack should you have an incident… such is the case I think in any firm. Met a guy last week who had a minor bump after being with a blue chip company for 15 years… out - it seems to be defacto to punish anyone who has a bump with the sack.
Blue chip companies seem full of bureaucracy. I got sacked in May for having coronavirus - I didn’t report in each day for being offsick. Not required according to the government but they set their own rules. Quite by chance I went to an agency who I have known of for several years and to my surprise I found they run a company that does haulage (mostly sub-contract work I think) - they have 8 units, several trailers and been running for about 20 years. I get more money and I seem to be treated well - daily rest 11 hours rather than the almost guaranteed 3 reduced rests per week elsewhere. Quite a few agencies (2 in my area) do this so it is worth enquiring. What I get is variety of work from tautliner, fridge and maybe container which I like.
Sorry for the late replay.
That was a really insightful post. I had my big brake yesterday, big learning curve. I had no idea what I was doing, lucky there was a dockyard shunter driver that came to my rescue and told me how to set my trailer up, for the straddler.
And like you said a lot more practice at reversing.
If doing containers never forget your twist lock and alway remember the twist lock going in un do twist lock outward twist lock